Las Vegas Man Sentenced To 17 Years In Prison For Armed Robbery Of A Jewelry Store

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Las Vegas man who was convicted of stealing more than $470,000 in cash and jewelry during an armed robbery was sentenced Thursday to 204 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada.

After a four-day jury trial in March, Joshua Sadat Washington, 38, was convicted of one count of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of transportation of stolen goods. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey ordered him to pay $334,791.51 in restitution.

The conviction was the result of an elaborate, but failed, robbery plot. The plot began on August 13, 2016, co-defendant Fedel Sakers, posing as a FedEx delivery driver with a package, entered Alfredo’s Jewelry in Las Vegas. Sakers pointed a gun at one employee, jumped over the display cases, and forced that employee and another employee to the floor. Washington entered the store and bound their hands with zip ties. During the robbery, Washington kept telling Sakers to “shoot those bitches,” referring to the victims. Washington dragged one of the victims by the hair and kicked her in the face when he became frustrated at the lack of money where he thought it should be. Washington placed the stolen jewelry and cash in garbage bags, then he and Sakers left the store.

Later on August 13, 2016, following the robbery, Washington mailed two packages containing the stolen jewelry to Miami, Florida. He addressed the packages to himself. A mail-carrier employee in Miami opened one package mistakenly believing it contained marijuana. When the employee noticed the package was filled with jewelry still containing price tags, he contacted law enforcement. Two days after the robbery additional packages were recovered in Miami in a storage locker rented by Washington. Washington mailed a third package two days after the robbery. Law enforcement arrested him when he attempted to collect the third package. A search of the vehicle Washington was driving at the time of his arrest revealed flight information showing he and Sakers flew from Las Vegas to Miami. A total of approximately $471,000 in cash and jewelry were stolen in the robbery.

Sakers was charged and pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison and three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

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